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Once you get iTunes sync'd with your iPod and music library, you don't even have to copy over the music. iTunes will figure it out and do it automatically as soon as you connect your iPod. It will even update tag information. It's a true syncing process. The same goes for album covers. Within literally 15 seconds, iTunes copied over approximately 50 new album covers that I found on the net to my wife's nano.

I'm not exaggerating on any of this. I don't have to hit a single button for ANY of that to happen. Only thing I have to do is connect my iPod to the USB port.

Tell me how windows explorer can do that?

-mpjesse

Why blame apple for windows explorer? I dont know how many times I've had to reset my desktop because W-E couldn't even find itself.
Not that I'm saying that M$ has ever done anything proprietary with it, but do you seriously think Mac Job wouldn't want to be able to have his toys access it if he could?

**ROFL**

Okay, tell me then, how this automatic feature is in any way useful when you have a 2GB Nano and 16GB of MP3s. For that matter, how it's useful when you've got the same songs encoded with different codecs and/or at different bitrates for use on different hardwares?

Sorry, but for a power user (like me, and like a lot of people out there), iTunes sucks.

Err? Huh?

I blame Apple for not allowing M$ users to use Windows Explorer with their iPod. Why? Because iPod is an Apple product and M$ users are probably by now the majority of their market.

You must have a really crappy version of Windows or be doing something incredibly wrong then.

As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding.

I never said iTunes was for everyone. With my wife's 4GB nano, I have it specified to only upload country music (that's what she listens to). If I want, I can just as easily put any kind of music on it as I would w/ Explorer. For me, I have a 30GB iPod video and I tell iTunes to upload anything new upon connection.

iTunes is meant to be a digital library- not some rudementary outdated Windows Explorer solution- that crap is for ppl who micromanage their library and like to waste time.

Can Windows explorer tag album covers to songs? Can Windows Explorer get mp3 tag info? Can windows explorer change tag info for an entire album with 1 click? Can Windows Explorer sync? Can you download legitimate TV shows with Windows Explorer?

As for the different bit rate stuff- I'm not sure. I rip everything at 192Kbps so I don't have that issue. I use MP3Pro for the audio codec.

If you don't have an iPod then yeah, iTunes sucks. Duh! It only works with iPods. What I'm saying is there isn't a better solution for buying/transfering music to MP3 players than iTunes/iPod (IF you have an iPod). Rhapsody and Napster both suck- I've tried to help my mom w/ them. It's a pain in the ass.

Don't diss something until you've actually tried it. I've used Rhapsody and Napster w/ a simple Rio MP3 player- they're light years behind iTunes. Oh and I'm still waiting for an article from a major source that calls the iPod or iTunes crap. BTW, iTunes must be doing something right, they finally made the top 10 list for most music sold which includes music retailers like Virgin, Sam Goody, etc.

-mpjesse

No, you just preach it like it is. If you'd just respect people's opinion to disagree for a change then maybe you'd look like less of a zealot.

Micromanaging my music files is exactly my style, which is why iTunes sucks IM(NS)HO. A lot of other people are just like me in that respect. It's a difference between being an amateur and being a professional. Amateurs need their hand held the whole way and anything that you can do to automate their experience so that they have less to screw up, the better. Professionals get into such low-level details that any software that prevents them from doing what they want to do is a waste of their time. The only good solution is something that does the hand holding for amateurs, but can be switched to low-level micromanagement for professionals. Anything less than that will always piss off one side or the other. Hence why Apple/iPod/iTunes suck. They assume too much to please the amateur, at the expense of the professional.

Good god, why would anyone even want it to? **ROFL** I'd have to kill myself if I actually gave a damn about album covers. But I'm sure that someone would program that if they really wanted to.

Actually, I'd be willing to bet that by now someone has written software that can do that. And I know that you can integrate any software into a right-click in Windows Explorer. I'd be surprised if no one has done that yet. The option is most definately there to a programmer.

Ditto of previous comment.

If your device's drivers actually allow it to be accessed as an external hard drive, then yes. iPod, being a PoS, no. That's entirely Apple's fault.

No, you'd use Internet Explorer (or Firefox, or Opera) for that. And again if the device were to actually register itself as an external storage medium you could easily save them directly to the device. You could even set the device as your default download directory. Just not with an iPod, because Apple sucks. Do you begin to see why interfacing through Windows as a proper external drive is so important to a Windows power user? There are tons of things that you should be able to do with any MP3 player that you can't do with an iPod for just that reason. It's monumentally stupid.

If Apple is so perfect then why don't you use their codec?

You're missing what I've said entirely. Even if I had an iPod, iTunes would still suck for my usage needs. iTunes isn't a suitable replacement for all of the features inherant to Windows itself that I'd be wanting to use on a regular basis.

Great, a feature I'll never use is what makes it the best solution. **ROFL** That's almost useful to me. Sorry, but I don't buy DRM. I refuse to support it.

That makes no sense whatsoever. That's like saying that you can't dis Ford until you've bought one of their cars and run it into the ground. (As if you can't research how cheaply their cars are made compare to something like Honda or Toyota without using a Ford.)

Besides, why on earth would I waste my time trying it when I know that it won't meet my needs? That'd be a bloody senseless waste of time, now wouldn't it?

I already gave you a Google search. Hell if I'm going to waste any more time than that, especially on a fanboy like you. If you want it so bad, find it yourself.

Saying that a software's interface and features are good because people have bought more music through the store than through other music retailers is like saying that MS Office must be good because more people have bought Windows than Solaris.[/quote]

I believe "professional" would be the incorrect word to use. Sometimes, as a professional, you either lack the time or don't wish to give up your time performing menial, simple tasks that could be automated. Frankly, I could waste the time it takes to do as you suggest, but I don't wish to do so. Being a professional myself, that is my professional opinion.



And what exactly does iTunes assume? I've had no issues with it... and I've been using for almost a year now.

wow havent been to this forum for some time since i assembled my AMD 64 system which i love very much and wouldnt trade it for any top of line Apple. But i just got to comment on this
I(OUTOF)TUNES program with the IPOD(screen cant handle cloth brush). ITUNES is crap waist of resources. why cant you just have the IPOD load ID3 Tag info and use the original mp3 encoding to play the mp3 instead of having to be forced to use a piece of crap itunes to synconize the Library and upload the songs though there SPECIAL process. I am a simple move files to the HD and program read HD and list all songs and you play song thats it. what im saying ITUNES sux is there an alternitive prog or do i return my ipod which screen is screwed anyways?